High school basketball: Davis edges rival Viewmont in overtime thriller

KAYSVILLE — Trailing by double digits, the Davis Darts were seemingly a quarter and a half away from having their 30-game home winning streak against Region 1 opponents snapped.

But that was precisely when point guard Kyle Smith stepped in front of a Viewmont pass while the Darts were pressing, drove the ball to the basket and drew a foul. His three-point play got Davis' crowd back into the game, energized the Darts and changed the complexion of the game.

"Everyone just got into it after that," said Darts center Tallon Burton. "That sparked us."

The Darts survived a couple more momentum shifts before beating Viewmont 51-47 in overtime, stretching their region home winning streak to 31 straight games. Davis also improved to 11-1 in Region 1 and 15-2 overall. Viewmont fell to 7-4 and 10-6.

Smith was hardly finished after his three-point play cut into what was a 31-20 lead for Viewmont midway through the third quarter. The Darts then went on a 17-1 run and looked to be on their way to a win when Josh Van Weezup drained a 3-pointer to give them a 37-32 lead.

Van Weezup's 3 came with 5:19 remaining, and Viewmont regained the game's momentum after a timeout. The Darts didn't make another basket in regulation and fell behind 40-37 with 20.6 seconds left. The Vikings, however, couldn't put the game away at the free-throw line, and Smith drew a foul on a drive with 3.1 seconds left and his team down by two.

Smith calmly sank two foul shots to tie the game at 41-41 and sent it into overtime.

"He didn't look nervous," said Davis coach Jay Welk. "Playing in a packed house against your rivals, he steps up and just sticks both of them."

The Darts never trailed in overtime. Trever Webb opened the extra session by hitting a 3-pointer. Smith, who scored a game-high 15 points, also contributed. He hit a jumper, and scored on a layup after he made a back cut that got him wide open under the basket.

Viewmont got within a point with 1:30 left in overtime, but Davis got stops and made enough free throws down the stretch to earn the win.

The Darts' victory might not have happened without Smith's steal and three-point play in the third quarter. Davis, which shot 34 percent in the game, struggled to get anything going until that point. The Vikings took the lead early in the second quarter and didn't relinquish it until early in the fourth.

"It just goes back to what our coaches say: defensive plays change games," Smith said of his steal. "That's why we work so hard on defense. It was a bad pass because of pressure and that's why I got the steal."

Smith had five rebounds and two steals to go along with his 15 points. Landon Horne had 11 points and six rebounds and Van Weezup had 12 points and five rebounds for Davis.

The Vikings got 10 points apiece from Eric North and Sennett Fraughton. North nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds and Cole Jones pulled down seven boards.

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com